The Nordic countries are the worst in the world for making friends, according to expats

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The Nordic countries are popular destinations for expatriates. 

They continue to attract foreigners with outstanding education, childcare, and healthcare.

Moreover, the highly satisfying work-life balance supports family life and allows foreign residents to enjoy a more laid-back lifestyle. 

These were some of the findings in InterNations' recent study, Expat Insider 2017, which asked more than 13,000 expats about quality of life in 65 different countries.

While Norway (20th), Finland (21th), Sweden (22th), and Denmark (30th) all rank slightly above average, the survey found that the Nordic region does have a dark side (beyond high living costs).

Many expats find it difficult to settle in and make contact with the natives. 

As welcome as the cold weather

Norway, Denmark, and Sweden take up the bottom 3 places for finding friends. More than six in ten expats find it hard to build friendships with the distant local residents.

"As in most Nordic countries, people are quite private, closed, and…not that open to conversations with new people," said one British expat living in Sweden.

Denmark features in the bottom 10 for all "Feeling Welcome" sub-factors, including "Feeling home in the local culture," "Ease of settling down," and "Ease of getting used to the local culture." 

Internations notes:

"This unfriendly welcome results in a high proportion of respondents sticking mainly with fellow foreigners. Nearly a half of respondents in Denmark (46%) say their social circle mainly consists of other expats. The only exception to this trend is Finland, where 27% of respondents say they have mostly local friends — eight percentage points higher than the global average (19%)."

InterNationsAlthough Finland may be a tad easier for making local friends, there is one big problem — the language:

"In Finland, over four-fifths of respondents (85%) claim the local language is hard to learn, while only 49% of expats in Sweden feel the same way. Finnish is one of the most challenging languages, requiring 1,110 class hours to become proficient, while the official languages of the other Nordic countries require less than 600 hours."

Top 10 in family-friendliness, health and well-being

The Nordic countries rank among the top 5 destinations for expat families and among the top 10 for health and well-being worldwide. Finland is especially appreciated for its high quality of education.

Morten Skogly/FlickrMoreover, a large majority of expat parents are satisfied with childcare options, ranking from 75 percent in Norway to 85 percent in Finland and Sweden.

An American expat in Finland says it is "one of the best places on earth to raise kids," while a British expat in Denmark thinks that "Denmark is a very family-friendly country and the workplace culture is very supportive of families."

Shorter work weeks

Work weeks are up to 5.8 hours shorter in the Nordic countries than the global average. However, the laid-back working style comes with a price: about three in ten expats in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark think that their household income is not enough.

And besides, what good is all that extra free time if you can't seem to find any new friends?

InterNations has 2.8 million members around the world, and is the largest global network and information site for people who live and work abroad. Check out the full Expat Insider survey here.

This year's top 10 destinations for expats include Costa Rica, Mexico and Singapore, and Spain. See more here.

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